Sony’s mobile gaming system Vita is set to enter more fashion-aware waters as the company announced a Crystal White model for June 28.

The word is the 3G version will go for ¥29,980 (about €289/$375) while the standard WiFi only version will cost ¥24,980 (around €240/$313). This is apparently the same as for the regular, black version, so it’s at least refreshing to see a company not charge extra for make-up alone.

The accompanying Crystal White headphones for Vita will also launch on June 28 and will cost ¥2,800 (about €27/$35). There’s no word on when the rest of the world can expect the Crystal White version, but we suspect it should not take long.

It seems as if both Microsoft and Sony are really bent on endowing their Windows Phones and Vitas with remote control for Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, respectively.

Microsoft seems to be closer to the mark as its Xbox Companion App has already made its way into a video. Although the app is not available as of yet, it will be free for all WP users.

The beta apparently works quite well and it’s allegedly lag-free. This could indeed be quite convenient, as it will allow you to browse Xbox Live Marketplace as well as control and play games on your Xbox. You can find out more and find a link to the video here.

The announcement is closely followed by Sony, who announced that Vita will be capable of mimicking PS3 console controllers. There was even a demo, but the company ended up using a cord due to interference concerns.

Vita’s screen will act as a sub monitor, which somewhat resembles the Wii U. The first use however will come to Japan in a December update, and will bring remote control for PS3 digital video recording application Torne. You can find out more here.

While Sony has yet to confirm their plans for the PlayStation Vita launch, suppliers seem to think right now that while it will likely be a phased-in launch, the Japanese market looks to be on track for a mid to late September launch followed by North America and Europe in October.

According to other sources, advertising buys seem to back up this date. However, suppliers tell us that they are ramping up builds for the holiday season which Sony believes will be big for the PlayStation Vita. Of course, no one is predicting numbers yet of how many units they think Sony can move of the Vita; recent comments about the future of handhelds does indicate that at least some software developers believed that they could be squeezed out in the end by smart phones.

The biggest mystery, however, is still getting a handle on the software that will launch with the Vita. While we know a number of the titles, it does still seem to be a small drop in the bucket, with not many titles yet announced after the first wave. We have to think that this will be in the minds of potential buyers. The one good spot of news for Sony might be Nintendo’s recent struggle with the 3DS which resulted in the company slashing prices. It would seem that buyers are looking for something more than what the 3DS offers and just maybe they will find it in the Vita.

Speaking at E3’s press conference, Sony’s Kaz Hirai confirmed that the device previously known as NGP or PSP2 will be called PS Vita. He confirmed the pricing and launch date as well, and it seems like we’ve got something to look forward to for the holiday season.

So, PS Vita will go for $249 for the WiFi-only model whereas the 3G one will cost $299. They will be available through AT&T exclusively. As we’ve grown to expect, Europeans will pay the same price, although in euros.

The PS Vita has a 5-inch multi-touch OLED display, rear multi-touch pad, two analog sticks as well as front and rear facing cameras. It will also include preinstalled app dubbed “Party”, which will enable users to do voice and text chat.

Hirai confirmed that the device will ship globally starting from the holiday season 2011.

Sony has confirmed that the new upcoming handheld (or NGP, if you prefer) will offer backward compatibility.

While the backward compatibility offering may not be ready on release day, the unit will be able to play downloaded PSP titles that users already own. This news is actually a bit of a surprise, considering that the last time Sony did backward compatibility (as on the PS3) they ended up tossing it out.

From what we understand, the backward compatibility is really nothing more than downloading a new NGP version of the game. The NGP updated versions will offer some additional support, such as support for the second analog stick, for example.

Rumors of cross platform play continue, but we will see how that evolves the closer we get to the actual E3 announcement. According to the whispers that we have heard, Sony plans to launch the NGP in at least one region during the holiday season. If not by the holiday season, it will be by the end of the year, for sure. It is likely that the NGP will not arrive in the U.S. until at least next year.

Sony is either working hard at throwing people off the scent of figuring out what the name of their Next Generation Portable (NGP) will be, or once again Sony has been foiled at trying to keep it secret.

While many thought Sony would just go ahead and call it PSP2, recent discoveries suggest that Sony might have settled on the name PS Vita instead. Sources claim that this is reinforced by information on Sony’s developer site, but it could then again be nothing more than a codename with the real name to finally be announced at the Sony press conference at E3.

It seems our sources are split on if PS Vita is the name or not. We will know for sure soon and until then the speculation will continue.

No matter if it is a case of damage control or not, Sony now seems to be going out of its way to distance itself from the comments of SCEA’s Jack Tretton, who recently commented that the NGP (PSP2) would be affected by the quake in Japan.

Sony is now saying that the tragedy in Japan will have no effect on its launch plans for the NGP. Sony is claiming that they are monitoring the situation, but they do not seem to be worried about getting the NGP released.

It seems now that the late 2011 release for the NGP stands, but our sources do insist that it could be difficult for Sony to get enough units built and released. We will have to just wait and see what happens, but for the time being Sony seems confident that there will be no impact to their timeline.

Sony, along with many Japanese companies, has been affected by the recent earthquake; and the quake is leading to production delays that are starting to affect the NGP or Next Generation Portable. (We still are calling it the PSP2 around here!)

With the situation that Sony now faces, production delays caused by the quake are causing shortages from suppliers, and this, coupled with damage to several of Sony’s factories in Northern Japan, could perhaps see Sony delay the unit in some regions.

While Sony has said that they want to get the NGP out for the holiday season, it is possible that the unit (when it launches this year, assuming that Sony still launches it this year), might only be released in Japan and North America before the holidays. Some developers who have already looked into their crystal ball have backed up the release of titles or canceled them for the time being, pending a more specific status of the NGP.

With a worldwide launch in jeopardy for this holiday season, analysts that we spoke with are suggesting that even if Sony is able to get NGP released, it could be very difficult for the company to produce enough units, so shortages are very likely; and that does not help move product.

Some of the mystery surrounding the NGP (PSP2) is starting to become fact as more details continued to be uncovered. The latest news by way of a panel discussion at GDC confirms that the Game Cards for the NGP will come in two sizes: 2GB and 4GB. Each Game Card has about 5% to 10% of what we suspect is flash memory for game saves and patches.

The removable flash memory cards will be offered in a couple of sizes. The removable flash memory will be used for storage of media as well as downloadable content. Unlike the PSPGo, the NGP has no internal flash memory for storage, so it is likely that you will have to have a removable memory card in the system most of the time. It is unknown if you will be able to save game data from games that come on the Game Cards to the removable flash memory cards, but we suspect that since it has an area on the card for game saves that you likely will not be able to save game data to the removable flash memory cards.

Sony will have a single submission format for developers, meaning that the developer can submit one version of their software that works both on a Game Card and as a download. This will save developers time, of course, by not having to build for two different formats.

The Game Cards will be in 2GB/4GB sizes and the 2GB size holds a little more than the largest UMD titles, which are about 1.8GB. When you compare this to the typical Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles, which average about 8GB to 9GB, the size might seem a little small. Of course, since the resolution of the NGP isn’t as high as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the 4GB size does seem to be right to start with. Sources suggest to us that Sony could support larger Game Card sizes if necessary.

From the land of GameStop our often correct leakers tell us that the Next Generation Portable (or PSP2, if you will) from Sony will be sold for $299, according to what is currently in the company’s computer system. Of course, this is much lower and a better value than the place holder price of $999, which was previously the amount that was shown in the system.

While you can’t believe everything you read we have to suggest that if the $299 price is correct, it has to be the Wi-Fi model and does not include much beyond the unit itself and the battery. Our sources continue to tell us that a $299 price is only possible for Sony if they are willing to lose some money on the device, and a $349 price tag is far more likely.

You never know how something like this will shake out, but we suspect that while the price may be accurate in the GameStop system, it might move up or down before release day. The important thing, however, is that they are accepting pre-orders; but no one seems to know exactly when the units will be released in North America. We know for certain that they will be here this holiday season.

Sources continue to say that Sony will announce the actual release information during their press conference at E3.